Tuesday, November 29, 2011

We are 24 hours away from the end of Nanowrimo 2011 and either you have close to 50,000 words or you do not. You still have a day left but for most of you, it's a done deal. You already know whether or not you "won" this year. Winning isn't really what you might think. It's more of a badge of honor--but I'll admit that I'm going to upload a scrambled version of Conditioned Response today (November 29th) just to "win" a badge for myself this year! ETA got my badge, isn't it pretty? LOL.

It's something a lot of us writers just really want. Plus there are perks. Click through the jump break and I'll direct you to some of them. Be sure to note that some of these perks are only free to Nanowrimo winners or require you to sign up by or before November 30th (during Nanowrimo), so check all links carefully.

Today I'll offer advice on where to go from here--no matter where your personal "here" might be. I'll advise those who did not reach the 50k word mark, those who just made it but don't have a full novel in those 50,000 or so words, and those who finished a complete novel (replete with a beginning, middle and end) but aren't sure what to do with it now that they've got it. Click through the jump break for Webbiegrrl tips on what to do next. Others may (certainly will ) have other tips. In fact, it's pretty much guaranteed that the #nanowrimo hashtag on Twitter will be flooded today with tips and tricks and advise and services--in between all the "woe is me, I didn't make it" and "hoo-rah! I won" tweets. These are just my tips. Use at your own risk.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Thanks for stopping in on the Monday Marketing series. I've been discussing branding and designing the Indie Publishing Company you want to keep. Like any other business, your career in Indie Publishing requires you to define a brand for yourself--that is, define you, the Author, as a product to be sold. The exact same rules apply to selling the Author product that is you as apply to stores selling widgets. You just have more control over your marketing than they do.

If you're just joining us, we're using one of the best little books on marketing ever written: The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by two of the original Madison Avenue wizards. If you've never read this book, it's only about a 1/4" thick in paperback. Take 5 minutes to read it now then check the previous entries of this series to read how these laws apply to the Indie Publishing business.

This week's lesson is on the Law of Attributes, which states "For every product attribute, there is an opposite and equally-effective attribute." Related to the Law of Opposites (Law 9), this Immutable Law of Marketing zeroes in on an effective sales tool you can make your own secret weapon. As noted in Law 8 (Law of Duality), no matter where you are on the Product Ladder, your immediate competition is the book on the rung directly above you in the market. Your goal, as we learned in Law 9 (Law of Opposites) is to identify some attribute to your prospective readers (your potential customers) that makes you "new and different" (read: better) than the same old, same old that is your competition. Click through the jump break to learn more.

Friday, November 25, 2011

If you are at all interested in reading my upcoming SciFi thriller, Conditioned Response, without knowing what happens, just leave now. I'm going to snippet something I'm currently working on from about the 80% mark of the book and the spoilers are abundant! Video and synchronicity lie ahead with the spoilers, though, so if you're spoiler-resistant, click on through the jump-break for the good stuff. If not, well, sorry...the eBook should be out sometime around New Year's or by the end of January, 2012 at the latest! Paperback edition to follow 3 months later.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011 and there are 8 days left to Nanowrimo. Today's post is addressed to all of you who are participating in the worldwide event to write 50,000 words in 30 days. I don't know if I can help you but I'm going to try. First I have some questions for you.

Are you ahead or behind as of right now this minute? Even if you were precisely on schedule, and have been doing exactly the 1667 words per day for 22 days, you'd have 13,336 words left to write by midnight on November 30th. That is, as of today, do you have 36,674 words done? Is that you? Some people could write 13k words in a day (I've done it more than once, when I'm on a roll and have no interruptions). Some people can't write 13k words in a month. Which are you? How you answer this word count question is the biggest danger of all this week. Are you being honest with yourself or conning yourself and everyone else?

Be truthful with yourself. Don't worry about checking in with your Nanowrimo buddies, don't even care about logging your word count at the site and having to explain it to anyone. Just be sure you're being honest with yourself. You are the only one whose opinion matters when it comes to how you "should" approach your writing activity. In addition, you have to live with yourself no matter what you're doing or how you're doing it, so be honest and you'll have an easier time of sleeping at night--you need your sleep to think clearly and write!

Are you ahead, on schedule or behind? Just make sure you know where you are now and then you can figure out how to get to where you want to be. Nanowrimo is supposed to be FUN not a conscience-breaking activity of guilt, stress and worry. Take a breath, sit back and click through the jump-break to see which of the following applies to you: Ahead of Schedule, Right on the Mark or Falling Behind.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Thanks for stopping in on the Monday Marketing series. I'm discussing branding and designing the Indie Author Publishing Company you want to keep. Like any other business, your career in Indie Publishing requires you to define a brand and market yourself in the most effective way. The exact same rules apply as those used by the Madison Avenue wizards selling widgets.

If you're just joining us, we're using one of the best little books on marketing ever written: The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by two of the original Madison Avenue wizards. If you've never read this book, it's only about a 1/4" thick in paperback. Take 5 minutes to read it now then check the previous entries of this series to read my interpretations of how these laws apply to us and our business.

Today we're looking at Law 13: Sacrifice and I think it's timely this week falls just days before Thanksgiving because hopefully, you'll be in the right frame of mind to start thinking about what you have instead of what you have not. That is the key to understanding the Law of Sacrifice. There are 3 areas of Sacrifice: brand focus, target market, constantly changing to keep up with sudden shifts in the market.

The idea isn't new: No one can be all things to all people all the time. You have to choose your brand's focus, choose your target market, and choose your long-term strategy--then keep the Company you just created with those choices. Be "thankful" for your choices by being "faithful" to them. Click through the jump-break for more.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Welcome to the last Freebie Friday feature at the Webbiegrrl blog. Due to a number of factors and recent changes to my work schedule (with more coming in the next 30-60 days), I'll be discontinuing this feature after today. I didn't want to just "cancel without notice" but don't worry, I won't leave you without resources.

Today's 3 freebies are selected (by me) from the collection of free eBooks by Indie Authors assembled at Bibliotastic.com. Bibliotastic has only free eBooks--all free, all the time. You simply register with
Bibliotastic and you can download the Kindle (PRC), Nook/Apple (ePub) or
PDF file in seconds. Please bookmark the site to find new freebies yourself in the weeks to come!

I was first turned onto Bibliotastic.com by Letitia Coyne, whose book, Petra, was featured here back in July, 2011 and will be the first of this week's featured freebies as my way of saying yet another "thank you" to Letitia for the tip. (hugs) Plus, I love that Letitia wrote a story highlight slavery. Given my November campaign to raise awareness to #StopHumanTrafficking and #endSlavery, I cannot think of a better way to kick off my final feature.

Petra is an "unputdownable" non-formulaic Historical Romance by Aussie Indie, Letitia Coyne, which has some fantasy elements of world-building in an alternate reality.

Aya grew up as a scavenger, trailing the Bedouin caravans. Bought from the arena as a young man, his new life as Sethos, the adopted son of a wealthy Roman merchant, is stained by the stigma of his past.

Jaida was raised in luxurious slavery, destined to be a virgin oracle.
When the fall of a dice brings her future into question, it is Sethos
who must define freedom and slavery, life or liberty – for himself and
for her. He has money, strength and cunning, and she has no more than
her faith.

Staying with the fantasy and alternate reality meme, I give you The Demon Girl by London-based Indie, Penelope Fletcher (@Miss_Fletcher). This is the beginning of the Rae Wilder series so proceed at your own risk if you're an addictive reader! At the moment (no guarantees about 5 minutes
from now or whenever you might check it), this book is also priced at $0.00
in the American Amazon Kindle Store so you can download it for free direct to your Kindle if you'd like. Get the ePub (Nook) or PDF files from Bibliotastic. Check out Miss Fletcher's Facebook for deets on the other 2 books of this series.

Rae Wilder has problems. Supernatural creatures swarm the earth, and humanity is on the brink of extinction. Stalked by a handsome fairy who claims she is like him, demonkind, Rae thinks maybe it was a mistake breaking the rules by going over the Wall into demon territory. Plunged into a world of dark magics, fierce creatures, and ritual sacrifice, she is charged with a guarding a magical amulet.

The changes to her mind and body are startling, but rather than accept her purpose she struggles against who she is destined to be. Throw in a big lust for a vampire who can't keep his hands off her, and life starts to get complicated.

Rae is forced to make the ultimate choice: to live and die human, or embrace her birth-right and wield magics that could turn her into something wicked, a force of nature nothing can control.

Lastly, because we seem to have a theme going on here, I'll give you a mystery/thriller that is also set in an alternate reality but this last feature has no paranormal elements. Probably. Unless you count the ghost in the machine! ^_^

I haven't read this book but the reviews imply it is a geekfest of techtalk and since I am, after all the webbiegrrl, I figured Rice Tea by the young "queer Canadian" author/filmmaker, Julien McArdle (@BotnetMovie), was an appropriate title with which to close the final feature. Thank you for letting me use you, Julien! O_o

Seth Arnott is not your typical undergraduate student. Gifted and bored, he uses his computer skills and an uncanny understanding of the telephone network to unleash pranks across campus. When Seth accidentally listens in on the work of a computer criminal he blogs about it on his website. Within a day of encountering the criminal, he is framed for operating one of the world's largest networks of infected computers. Confused, Seth flees underground and attempts to prove his innocence. What follows is an exciting journey through the world of cyber-crime.

What's Next....
I hope you've enjoyed the Freebie Fridays at Webbiegrrl's Writings. If you're an Indie Author and want to be featured "solo" sometime, tweet me @webbiegrrl (on Twitter) or post a note to the Webbiegrrl Facebook Page. No guarantees, but it can't hurt to ask. I've done an author spotlight before and could do it again. Maybe.

For my readers, I'll have to find some other use for the Friday blog. The Saturday Surprise might have to be cancelled due to work schedule (again, not sure how things will play out for the next 2 weeks but should know by the first week of December if I still have a job and just need to completely overhaul my schedule or am job-hunting for something else entirely).

I don't like to complain about work on this blog but I'm more aggravated about how work is interfering with my writing career than I am about the fact I may need to find a new job (without any notice). I'm this close to finishing the edits on the SciFi thriller (in the Phoenician Series) which was scheduled for release December 31, 2011. Obviously that might have to be put off a month or more if I have to search for and start a new job instead. All in all, I'd rather be writing--who wouldn't?!

Please stay tuned to the Twitterstream and Facebook Page for news of my demise.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

If you're doing the NaNoWriMo this year, you are either halfway there (got 25,000 or more words written so far?) or you're freaking out because you've stalled and don't know how to get going again.

When the event starts, it's easy to get excited, to get motivated, but as you start spending more and more time alone--writing is a solitary activity--your energy level might begin to fall off. Unless, of course, you're on a roll. One nano'er I know is actually at the 80,000 word mark now (Go, @AmosTFairchild!) For the bulk of you, however, you're probably struggling in either the 5,000 or 15,000 word range and need a new boost to your inspirational juices.

One way, of course, is the Write-In, which I mentioned in my first Tuesday Tip on Nanowrimo. A Write-in is where a bunch of your fellow nano'ers gather together with you in a common location to write "alone together." It's an interactive writer's group where you can ask each other questions (which could be diasterous if you're on a roll and someone else has a long list of interruptions) and where you can get inspired by each other's work.

Since I've never actually experienced the mythical "Writer's Block," I'm not sure I can relate to being unable to churn out words, but I'll try. Click through the jump-break for a few tips on how to approach writing slumps.

Freebie Friday is a feature I run to get new Indie Authors exposure to new readers (and to get my readers some free stuff
they'll enjoy reading), not to mention driving traffic through my blog. It's a win/win/win the way I see it. I feature 3 books each week on a first come, first serve basis. You should enter your book as soon as possible, but your coupon codes (or price change to free) won't be due until 1700 hrs
ET the Thursday before your featured date. If you use a coupon code, please make its expiration date the Saturday after your featured date (it will expire at midnight Friday when the date clicks over to Saturday).

I'll reply with a comment using my Heidi Klum voice (like from Project Runway, You are IN. You may leave the runway.") I'll review your
submission, test-click your link and then post a comment. Until you get that reply, you are not yet "in," so be sure to tick the box to subscribe to the comments and you'll be notified when I reply

Sounds great! How do I join?
If you're an Indie Author, you'll
need to have an English-language book that is on a web site and/or can
be downloaded in multiple formats. I won't specify formats, but I highly
suggest a minimum of Kindle (MOBI) and Nook/Apple (EPUB) formats, as
those 2 file formats alone will saturate 90% or more of the market.

Click through the jump break for detailed instructions on submitting your free read to be featured.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Welcome back to the Monday Marketing series on branding yourself as an Indie Author and designing the Company you want to keep. Like any other business, your career in Indie Publishing requires you to define a brand and market yourself in the most effective way.

If you're just joining us, we're halfway through the best little book on marketing ever written: The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by two of the smartest guys Madison Avenue ever saw. If you've never read this book, it's only about a 1/4" thick in paperback. Take 5 minutes to read it now. I'll wait. ^_^

All done? Great. Let's back up to Law 12: Line Extension. In the Indie Publishing field the concept of a "line" most-easily translates into a "genre" and line extension becomes cross-genre marketing. In terms of the publishing industry, the gist of Law 12 states that despite the pressure to expand outside your genre, the cross-marketing efforts will effectively weaken your brand. Click through the jump break to read more.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

I'm still working on Conditioned Response, Book 2 of the Phoenician Series, my SciFi Thriller series under the pen name Marjorie F. Baldwin (the "F" stands for "Friday"; yes, just like the Heinlein character!)

I'm getting really close to the end of the easy edits, which culminate in the death of a major character (which is also the climax of this book of the Phoenician Series) so it's getting to the point where I have to combine half of the next book with about 30,000 words at the end of this book.

Oh, and I only have about 20,000 words left in which to do it unless or until I can delete more words to make more room for newer, better words! ^_^ I definitely want to kill about 10,000-15,000 from the first third of the book anyway so that might work out--just need more time to do it!

Oh and on that subject, just to keep life interesting, I only have about 3 weeks left in which to do it, which really amounts to only 4-6 days between now and mid-December since I only get 1-2 days a week (part of Friday and most of Saturday) when I can write. The rest of the time I'm either creating these blogs for you or working the day job. Or trying to keep the email and Twitter and Goodreads and Facebook and everything else under control through daily maintenance.

I'm not complaining just explaining why I haven't been cartooning Dicky (he still lacks a proper left hand or any right hand, proper or otherwise); and haven't been posting much of anything else but SciFi snippets on Saturdays. Nor will I again until after New Year's.

The release date for Conditioned Response is December 31, 2011. I don't know if I'll make it but I'm going to try. Until around Thanksgiving weekend (about 2 weeks from now) you can read sample chapters of the book on the Authonomy web site. If you'd like to give comments, you need to register. If you just want to read the pre-release edition of the book, you can do so free of charge and without registering. Click here to get started.

Enjoy!

Nov 29 Update: Just had to note I had 2 days off over Thanksgiving to devote to the cover art and through a thread or three on Goodreads, and posting the artwork on DeviantArt, I managed to update the image to near-final form. I like the new version and can use it, in a pinch, but might have to change the foreground into less "cloned rocky mesa" and more "hot, sandy plains." But I think the latest image is starting to look nicely-professional--thanks to all the fans and colleagues who chimed in on the various threads for helping to make it the best it could be!

Friday, November 11, 2011

Welcome to the Veterans Day Special Edition of Webbiegrrl's Freebie Friday feature. I wanted to showcase veterans stories this week and have a few "war stories" to recommend.

The first one is by an award-winning author who's been writing about war for over 25 years. Lois McMaster Bujold has written 17 books in a military science fiction (milSF or space opera) series called the "Vorkosigan Saga." She started with the premise of a planet colonized by humans, then cut off from the rest of humanity, left to fend for themselves in a frontier-like manner. She gave this planet, Barrayar, a class system that sets the nobility into a warrior caste (called "Vor") who are responsible not only for running the government, but also for defending the planet against various and sundry aliens.

The Vor (indicated by the syllable before their family name) have evolved into the biggest, strongest, most able-bodied of men (and most delicate of women), so the first thing Lois does to the Vor's most-decorated Hero, Aral Vorkosigan, and his long line of Vorkosigan Admirals who've single-handedly turned the tides of more than one war, is give Aral a crippled son. Overcoming this barrier to glory is the warrior's son, Miles's, lifetime goal--and ultimately, Miles's greatest achievement is that he stops overcoming his limitations and instead, embraces them. After all, "Miles" does mean soldier and he does "soldier on" for 17 or 18 stories spanning nearly 40 years (as of the last book in the series--so far).

The Warrior's Apprentice is an early work--both the introduction of Miles to the series and only the second book Lois ever wrote. Lois proves she already had it down pat by the time she wrote this book. It's designed to be a comedy of errors, a parody of the parody (The Sorcerer's Apprentice) so a lot of the plot might be regarded as AuthorConvenient. I wasn't bothered by how "conveniently" things worked out for Miles, as I saw a lot of the "convenience" to be plain and simple human nature at work and Miles just exploited opportunities. Sometimes, some people just do have all the luck. And sometimes, a plot about people doesn't have to be complex.

Lois's stories are definitely about people not things or places or events--but the events spin out of control in a side-splitting LOL way that definitely does tribute to the 19th century Goethe tale (though my favorite version remains Disney's segment in the 1962 animation, Fantasia). The places are so richly textured and vibrantly described that sometimes I feel as though the universe Lois created in this series is a character unto itself. And when it comes to "things" Lois has some of the best gadgets subtly placed into her stories without any hooplah.

The Vorkosigan Saga is, above all else, a soldier's story. The harsh realities of war are driven home--repeatedly--in the opening duology, Cordelia's Honor (includes Shards of Honor and Barrayar), where Miles suffers his in utero cellular damage) and Miles, being the right little soldier that he is despite flunking out of the Academy, will carry the weight of many wars on his bent little back for the rest of his life. The Warrior's Apprentice sets the stage and cuts out the heart of the star soldier's courage, leaving him with survivor's guilt and blood on his hands for the remainder of his life (and the series). Like some great Shakespearian Hero, Miles will never get the blood shed in The Warrior's Apprentice to ever leave his hands. Twenty years later, though I can tell you he's started to live with the stain.

All books in the Baen Free Library are available through the Webscriptions service. Although there is a price listed, you do not have to pay for these books. You can just download the file (or email it to your Kindle device). The price is a suggested donation to keep the Baen Free Library running.

The second book I want to offer today is one I have not read but have heard a lot about--from its author, anyway. Michael Hicks has broken into the SciFi genre with his series, In Her Name, and he's made the first book of the series, Empire, free. I cannot personally speak to this book but since it's gotten a bazillion 5-star reviews on Amazon, I suspect it's a pretty good read. Its description reminds me of a cross between Haldeman's Forever War and some of David Weber's alien invasion war stories (see the Baen Free Library).

In the first book of an epic futuristic fantasy trilogy, this is the coming-of-age story of Reza Gard, a young boy of the Human Confederation who is swept up in the century-long war with the alien Kreelan Empire. Nightmarish female warriors with blue skin, fangs, and razor sharp talons, the Kreelans have technology that is millennia beyond that of the Confederation, yet they seek out close combat with sword and claw, fighting and dying to honor their god-like Empress. Captured and enslaved, Reza must live like his enemies in a grand experiment to see if humans have souls, and if one may be the key to unlocking an ages old curse upon the Kreelan race. Enduring the brutal conditions of Kreelan life, Reza and a young warrior named Esah-Zhurah find themselves bound together by fate and a prophecy foretold millennia before they were born.

This book is priced at FREE so no coupon is required.

Technically, I've already mentioned way more than 3 free reads but there is one more book I'd like to recommend to you today. It's a slightly different milfic by John Ringo titled Unto the Breach. You can read the first few chapters free online but the book, itself, is not free.

It is, however, possibly the best book John has ever written. The series (Paladin of Shadows, but we all just call it the "Ghost" or "Kildar" series) is not a scifi series but a sort of alternate reality. The series was written to be a sort of wish fulfillment for the author--not to be taken seriously. Then he created these make-believe people, the Keldara, in Book 2 and somehow the series took off. They are a warrior people and since John's a big fan of Lois's Vor Series, it's no surprise if you see similarities.

I reviewed Unto the Breach here, for the 4th of July weekend (with some spoilers mentioned). If you really want to get a copy of this book for free--and really love scifi or milSF--you'll have to do a little bit of work but it can be done.

First, follow me on Twitter (@webbiegrrl) then ask me for a link (@mention me). I'll follow you back and then via DM I'll send you to the location of the Holy Grail (or at least somewhere you can find a bunchaton of great books by Ringo and other Baen authors). It's totally legal (and okay with the Baen Books folks) but I cannot in good conscience advertise the link here since it's only shared by word of mouth....and we like it that way. Keeps the server running quickly.

BONUS READ

Even though you've already got way more than 3 books here, they are all somewhat serious soldier stories--which was the point, given it's Veterans Day--but there's one book I featured over Labor Day weekend that has risen to #31 on the Amazon Kindle Store's Top 100 Free Books list (Edited to say it's risen #30 just in the last hour!! Go, Ruby!!) I just had to give a shoutout to Ruby Barnes for this great achievement. Plus Peril is a bit of comic relief you might appreciate right about now (and the bookending of comic relief for this blog post is a symmetry I cannot resist!)

Peril is priced at FREE on Smashwords so no coupon code is required. I'm sure it's still FREE on the American side of the Amazon Kindle Store but since I'm in the US, I cannot check the price status for the UK Kindle Store. If it's not free in the UK Kindle Store, European and other non-American readers can just stop by Smashwords to get your free copy.

What's Next....

Tomorrow I'll have more SciFi edits done but I'm not sure if it's a good idea to snippet. Some serious stuff is going on in Conditioned Response right now and giving away all those spoilers might ruin someone's fun. I'll have chapters up for commenting until about Thanksgiving weekend so tomorrow, if you'd like to get another free read, visit the Authonomy site to read Conditioned Response through my current state of repair. If my editing keeps progressing as nicely as it has been this past week or two, I should be able to get the book finished by mid-December but then it'll be a serious scramble to get it formatted and released by December 31st! As Emperor Gregor (in the Vorkosigan series) always says, Let's see what happens.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Some writers are great at description, others do better with plotting and yet others--such as, myself--find their forte is characters and dialog. So what do writers like myself do when faced with a plot that's plodding or a description I need to write but can't force myself to do unless I "speak" it to the reader through some character's voice?

The key I've found that works is to use a basic rule of design I learned years ago when doing graphics design. It's a cute little acronym that's easy to remember: CRAP. Apply the rules of CRAP or a crap design is what you'll get. So what's this crap all about? :) The 4 elements of design are:

C = contrast
R = repetition
A = alignment
P = proximity

I've discussed the idea previously, back when I was discussing book covers. It works for designing images and amazingly, it works for designing your writing, as well! You have to think in terms of your book being a whole thing, not individual pieces. Make the entire work operate in synchronicity by applying unifying design rules.

Most importantly for Nanowrimo participants, while you're writing, whenever you get to a spot where you're not sure what to do, go through these 4 rules in your head to see if one or more of them might be the answer to getting those words churning out again. Click through the jump-break to read about each rule in turn.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Welcome back to the Monday Marketing series on branding yourself as an Indie Author and designing the Company you want to keep. Remember, you might be writing books for the sheer joy of it, but if you're looking to make money off that joy, you're in business. Like any other business, you need to choose how to brand yourself, how to market yourself and how to present yourself to the public as your Company's #1 spokesperson.

If you're just joining us, we're halfway through the best little book on marketing ever written: The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by the same guys who coined the phrase: Perception is everything. We examined the Law of Perception here. Now we're looking at perspective--related but not the same even if you misspell it (grin)

Short-term gratification can be nice, and Indie Authors tend to use a 99-cent "sale" (limited time only!) as a method of getting short bursts of high numbers of sales. The problem pointed out by the Law of Perspective is that, to maintain volume over the long term, you would need to have one long, continuous sale. Why? Because having had one "sale," your prospective customers are now trained. They'll hold out for the next sale, instead of buying on impulse at the moment when you would otherwise have captured them. In other words, short-term gratification will produce long-term failure more often than not.

Long-term effects are often the exact opposite of the short-term results.

I've seen this problem already with Dicky's Story. I use Dicky's Story as a vehicle for experimentation, a learning process, and I've learned a lot since releasing it in March, 2011, so I don't mind, but it does illustrate the point nicely with cold, hard numbers. Click through the jump-break to find out what the Law of Perspective advises to do instead of going for the "limited time only sale!" tactic.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

I'm going to share part of the chapter I'm currently working on in honor of the fact it's #Nanowrimo month and I have, in fact, been writing quite a bit while working editing the SciFi thriller I'm planning to release December 31, 2011 (hahaha, plans, so cute that I have plans for release, isn't it?).

This is actually four chapters being reduced (from 14,500 words) down into one (about 6,500 words now). The first part (before the "#") was already shared
on the Phoenician Series blog as a Sample Sunday last week. I've been working all week at finishing up the edits to get the rest of the plot points summarized or removed. I don't want
to keep spoilering the book on that blog before I publish it in December, so I'm snippeting
here...not that anyone couldn't figure out I'm running both blogs since I keep mentioning it :) Let's just pretend for marketing purposes that it makes sense.

There's no character introduction in this chapter since it takes place almost 75% of the way into the book and you'll already know who all the players are if you've been reading the whole book. For those of you who are new to the Phoenician Series books, or reading this as your first sample of that book, click here to open a text file (in a new window) with a summary of the book to this point (spoilers included). Alternatively, you can read most of the earlier chapters on Authonomy (only need to register if you want to comment). Of course, if you just want to get to the snippet already, click through the jump-break now. ^_^

Friday, November 4, 2011

I just want to note before I get into anything else that this particular week is a special one since Friday is Veterans Day. It would be AWESOME if people with military fiction or at least law-enforcement related stories to give away were to submit their stuff. I might have to "censor" to hold out for some for a change. Normally, it's just "first come, first serve," no other requirements. This week...we shall see. I'm posting the submissions thread early in hopes of getting the kinds of books I want for Veterans Day, November 11, 2011 (or 11-11-11).

Freebie Friday is a feature I run to get new Indie Authors exposure to new readers (and to get my readers some free stuff
they'll enjoy reading). I feature 3 books each week on a first come, first serve basis. You should enter your book as soon as possible, but your coupon codes won't be due until (at the latest) 1700 hrs
ET the Thursday before your featured date.

I'll reply with a comment using my Heidi Klum voice (like from Project Runway, You are IN. You may leave the runway.") I'll review your
submission, test-click your link and then post a comment. Until you get that reply, you are not yet "in," so be sure to tick the box to subscribe to the comments and you'll be notified when I reply

Sounds great! How do I join?
If you're an Indie Author, you'll
need to have an English-language book that is on a web site and/or can
be downloaded in multiple formats. I won't specify formats, but I highly
suggest a minimum of Kindle (MOBI) and Nook/Apple (EPUB) formats, as
those 2 file formats alone will saturate 90% or more of the market.

Click through the jump break for detailed instructions on submitting your free read to be featured.

This week's feature has a little something for everyone! Remember, if you download one of the freebies, just send the author a quick tweet to say thank you for the free gift (their Twitter IDs are after their names) or even better, leave them a comment or review after you've finished the book! Reader comments are the golden nectar that feeds a writer's Muse.

Speaking of feeding the Muse, first up we have an imaginative urban fantasy, Tracking Shadows (approx. 73684 words) by Regan Black (@reganblack). This one reads like a suspense/mystery thriller with paranormal elements--a lethal combination if I ever heard one!

In 2096 Chicago, Slick Micky is the king of smuggling, known to deliver anything, anytime, anywhere. But an old enemy, eager to take his place, has ordered his death.

Trina Durham has a sterling reputation among assassins, thanks to her unique ability to induce deadly illusions. She left Chicago when Slick Micky killed her best friend, but this job offers an irresistible chance for vengeance.

To get this book free, use coupon code CA34Y at checkout.
(Coupon expires November 5, 2011)

If you enjoy this free read, be sure to check out Regan's other books in the Shadows of Justice series on Smashwords.

After that taut read, we need to have a little comic relief. Good thing the next book I've got for you is Can Job (approx. 66478 words), a Romantic Comedy by Kirsten Mortensen (@KirstenWriter).

A bumbling boss. An eeeevil executive. A newbie who didn't want this stupid job in the first place. Now their lives are about to collide. A plate of humorous satire with a side of romance, Can Job explores what happens when normal people try to live -- and love -- inside a dysfunctional corporation.

To get this book free, use coupon code AZ26S at checkout.
(Coupon expires November 11, 2011)

If you enjoy this free read, be sure to check out the short story that introduced "Poor Rocco" and some of Kirsten's other books on Smashwords.

The third and final entry is another thriller that's based in the all-too-real-world of St. Paul, Minnesota. Deadly Stillwater (approx. 107650 words) by Roger Stelljes (@rogerstelljes)

Award winning author, Roger Stelljes, delivers an action packed pulse pounding thriller that is the second book in the McRyan Mystery Series. An abduction is just the beginning in a case of betrayal and revenge that will ultimately strike at the soul of the St. Paul Police Department.

Mac McRyan, a 4th-generation cop, is faced with a complicated brazen daytime kidnapping, a media storm surrounding the case, and political scrutiny. From the searing streets of St. Paul to the icy shores of Lake Superior to the murky waters of the St. Croix River, "Deadly Stillwater" is a non-stop rush you won't be able to put down until its last thrilling minute.

This book is priced at FREE so no coupon code is required. Warning, it's book 2 of a series, so you'll be addicted after the free read and "have to" visit Roger's web site to find out when the next one's released. Hint: he has a newsletter, sign up for it.

What's Next....
Tomorrow I'll have another SciFi Saturday Snippet to share, as my progress on the SciFi thriller continues ever-so-slowly but steadily. I wish I could just focus on this book and not do anything else. I think I need to find a different job sooner than next winter. If I decide to watch TV, I might also havea bit more done on the Cartooning Dicky artwork, since that's something I can do while I watch TV. For writing, I need to turn off everything (including the internet) and turn on the music ^_^

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

So I posted this morning with a few "getting started" tips on how to set yourself up on the Nanowrimo web site--at least, if you can get their servers to load the web pages (grin); however, as I went about other business today, I kept thinking, I didn't actually deliver any tips on writing. So I'm back, but this bonus post will be a quickie - just 3 tips.

One, before I forget, I meant to advise you on when and how to get onto the Nanowrimo web site. I do not advise anyone to do this at work.

A lot of people (both in the US and in the UK) seem to think it's totally okay to use company resources to do personal activities (which nanowrimo is unless you are in a job which pays you to be a writer or professional reader). It's not okay. Don't do it.

Not only are you risking your job (it's grounds for termination in most employment contracts even if you didn't read the terms of your employment documents when you were hired--trust me, it's in there!) but it's also not the best time of day for you to access the Nanowrimo web site anyway.

Instead, I'd advise you to get up early, an hour or two earlier than you usually do, and plan to be online before 7am Eastern Time (USA). A lot of writers are night owls but force yourself to shift your sleep for this one month because you'll find that access to the Nanowrimo web site is sluggish in the evening. That because it's when both Americans and Europeans (mostly Britons) are online, talking in the forums or playing with the nano distractions.

When I did Nanowrimo in 2006, I actually switched myself to third shift. I got up at 2300 hrs and worked all night, getting offline by 9:00 am or 10:00 am Eastern Time (USA) because that's when the nano site got intolerably slow. I found that from about 3:00 am Eastern (which is 8:00 am (ish) in most of Europe) until about 8:00 am Eastern, the site was pretty good. Then by 8:00 or 9:00 am Eastern, the Europeans were hitting their lunch break and Americans started heading into the office (and west coasters/Pacific Time residents were just getting up) so it's a double whammy on the slow server performance. If you need access to the site (to upload your word count, forex), do it early in the day.

Okay, onto the tips. First of all, there is no "correct" way to write. Everyone has their own
system and trying to use someone else's way of working may actually
cause you problems where none need exist. For a few more quick tips on how to tackle your writing to make it exciting and energetic, click through the jump-break.

Welcome to Nanowrimo Month! For anyone who's participating in the event, first of all, breathe ^_^ Your brain cannot function without oxygen so don't forget to breathe. Second, don't hyperventilate (haha) Although Nanowrimo is exciting, it's not going to be the end of your world if you don't "win." Plus you could "cheat" if it's really that important to you. But of course, you'd have to live with yourself afterwards.

For non-authors reading this, you're probably wondering what this is. Properly written it's National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo but we tend to abbreviate it and write it without the capitalization and sometimes even shorten it to just "Nano." Or for this year's event, Nano 2011. I did Nano 2006 (finished my 50,000 words on Nov 12th and began editing) but have not bothered to do it again since because I find myself more productive without the tempting distraction of an online community of fellow writers (grin)

Nanowrimo, Defined
It's a fairly popular annual writing event that takes place from November 1 through 30, the entire month of November, and the goal is to write 50,000 words in those specific 30 days. It's an impetus to inspire writers to write daily. That is, for those who actually need a reason to write daily, Nanowrimo provides a measure of accountability and comaraderie. Me, personally, I just need to quit the day job and I'd be writing 16 hrs a day, 7 days a week--and loving it!

Some people aren't as inspired or motivated without external forces holding them accountable or helping to nudge them in the right direction. In fact, I do my best work when I get feedback on my writing so even though I don't suffer from the mythical beast called Writer's Block, I do enjoy the burst of creativity sparked by external fanning. Click through the jump-break to read more about Nano 2011.

Contributors

In this business essential for the self-publishing professional, Indie Authors will learn the hands-on marketing strategies they never teach you in a creative writing course. These immutable laws are your guideposts on the road to success in the Digital Publishing industry. Get your copy today as an eBook from Smashwords or as Paperback from CreateSpace